Ankola landslide: Dredger reaches Karwar, search for Arjun to resume tomorrow

Shirur: Nearly two months after Kozhikode native Arjun and two others went missing following a landslip at Ankola in Karnataka, a dredger for search operations in the river was brought to Karwar on Wednesday. The machine departed from Goa on Tuesday and will be taken to the Gangavali River after officials assess the prevailing conditions for the mission.

The dredger was transported by tugboats across the sea. According to Uttara Kannada district authorities, the search was expected to resume by Thursday morning. Earlier on Wednesday, a high-level review meeting was conducted at the district collectorate to plan the operation.

The Karwar-based private agency handling the dredging operations quoted Rs 96 lakhs for the work. The district disaster management authority provided Rs 50 lakhs, and the Karnataka government covered the remaining amount. Earlier attempts to continue the search were hindered by adverse weather conditions and strong undercurrents in the Gangavali River.

Arjun went missing on July 16 following a massive landslide on National Highway 66 near Shirur in Ankola. He was travelling from Karnataka to Kerala with a truckload of wood when the incident happened. It was suspected that Arjun was trapped inside the truck, which was buried under the mud that accumulated in the river after the landslide. However, despite extensive searches using various devices, the Uttara Kannada district authority has confirmed that no human presence has been detected in the area so far.